By Sonia Gomez, UNHCR Senior Education officer for Kenya; Rebecca Telford, UNHCR Chief of Education Section; Theresa Beltramo, UNHCR Senior Economist for Middle East and North Africa; and Masud Rahman, UNHCR Economist for Kenya
This blog post draws on the first wave of data from the Kenya Longitudinal Socioeconomic Study of Refugees and Host Communities, part of the Kenya Analytical Programme on Forced Displacement (KAP-FD), a UNHCR-World Bank collaboration to strengthen evidence on refugee integration and effective programming to ensure no one is left behind.
Saido, the only female Somali basketball player in her community, inspires girls from the Kakuma Secondary School Kakuma to embrace education, computer literacy, and sports for empowerment and cross-cultural friendships.
© UNHCR/Charity Nzomo
Education is a fundamental human right and a powerful force for transforming the lives of refugees and host communities. In Kenya, which hosts more than 810,000 refugees and asylum-seekers as of 30 November 2024, access to education can unlock untapped abilities, foster self-reliance, and boost economic growth.
Education will be a critical catalyst for the Government of Kenya’s Shirika Plan, a new refugee management framework which envisions a shift from refugee camps to integrated and thriving communities.
Yet, significant disparities in education for both refugee and host community children persist, making it challenging to achieve these goals.
The Kenya Longitudinal Socioeconomic Study of Refugees and Host Communities (K-LSRH) generates comparable socio-economic data for refugees and hosts throughout Kenya to inform policy and programming and deliver evidence-based programmes on education and beyond. This dataset presents the first set of comparable socioeconomic indicators that includes refugees in major refugee-hosting counties (Turkana and Garissa) and urban locations (Nairobi, Nakuru and Mombasa).
The data on education allows stakeholders on the ground to validate common trends seen in UNHCR’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) that tracks administrative data from education facilities while also posing key questions that require critical exploration to improve education programming for refugees and host communities. An interactive dashboard of results from previous UNHCR and World Bank collaborations on socioeconomic evidence is available here.
Educational attainment and challenges
The survey found that educational attainment is limited among both refugee and host community adults. In Garissa County, which surrounds the Dadaab refugee complex where some 413,595 mostly Somali refugees live, over 87% of hosts and 84% of refugees have never attended school, reflecting broader regional disparities in Kenya. In refugee camps like Kakuma and Dadaab, women are disproportionately affected, with 66% of female refugees aged 25-64 having no formal schooling, compared to 33% of male refugees. Educational attainment is higher among hosts in urban areas.
Figure 1: Highest education level of those 25-64 years old, by location
For refugee children, education outcomes improve but remain below national averages. According to self-reporting from survey respondents, primary school gross enrollment is over 80% in urban areas and the Kakuma and Kalobeyei camps, a result of significant investments by UNHCR and development organizations. In Garissa County in Eastern Kenya along the border of Somalia, the net enrollment rate for children of host communities is 27% versus 17% for refugee children in the surrounding Dadaab settlements. In Northwestern Kenya in Turkana County, refugees are faring better than host communities – the net primary enrollment rate is 81% for refugees living in in Kakuma and 89% in Kalobeyei settlements versus 53% for hosts.
Over-age learners persist throughout primary and secondary education, increasing the risk of dropping out. Economic barriers, like school fees, remain significant obstacles despite education being officially free. This underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to remove financial and other barriers to quality primary and secondary education for both refugees and hosts in Turkana and Garissa Counties so as not to leave a generation behind.
Education is a fundamental human right and a powerful force for transforming the lives of refugees and host communities.
A diagnostic from the K-LSRH survey finds poor academic attainment for those in school in math, English and Kiswahili, pointing to a quality issue in primary education. Only 23% of host students scored full marks in math, compared to 47% of refugees. Many Grade 6 students lacked proficiency in Grade 1-3 level materials, with 31% of Turkana hosts and 19% of Dadaab hosts struggling. Refugees in Kakuma and Kalobeyei scored highest in English, but Dadaab refugees and hosts lagged due to the predominant use of Somali in classrooms. Kiswahili scores were slightly better for hosts, but small sample sizes limit conclusions.
For secondary school, the K-LSRH respondents reported that only 23% of refugee children in Kakuma and 18% in Kalobeyei transition successfully to secondary education. In Dadaab, just 9% of school-age refugee children reportedly attend secondary school – compared with UNHCR’s EMIS data showing a 42% gross enrolment rate, the net data from the study indicates high numbers of over-age learners at this level.
Contributing factors include failing national exams, limited secondary school capacity in camps, and socio-economic barriers impacting adolescent learners. In Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and urban areas, almost all children in this age group attend primary or secondary school. However, in the Turkana host community and Dadaab, only about half of secondary-school-age children are in school. This situation underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to improve the quality of primary education and ensure children transition successfully to secondary education.
Figure 2: Primary school enrollment1
Note: The new CBC curriculum, which took effect in 2017, defines the primary school age as 6 to 11 years. However, some older students (ages 12 to 13) remain in primary school under the previous 8-4-4 curriculum. Therefore, the primary school age is defined as 6-11 years (CBC) and 6-13 years (8-4-4).
Figure 3: Secondary school enrolment rates
Note: The 2017 CBC curriculum defines the secondary school age as 12-17. However, during the survey, some 12-13-year-olds were still in primary school under the previous 8-4-4 system. Thus, secondary school age is defined as 12-17 for most students and 14-17 for those under the 8-4-4 curriculum.
Aspirations vs. reality
Despite these challenges, aspirations for education are high among refugees and host communities, as seen in the K-LSRH survey. Most children and their caregivers hope to complete university education; for instance, 95% of children in Kakuma aspire to reach this level. However, low enrolment and poor attainment often hinder these aspirations.
The K-LSRH survey found traditional gender beliefs do not seem to be a significant barrier to school enrolment, though UNHCR’s EMIS data shows that girls’ enrolment is significantly lower than boys, particularly at secondary levels. The survey found strong support for gender-equal education, especially in urban areas and Kakuma and Kalobeyei. In Dadaab, although slightly less gender-progressive, most people still support girls’ education, with 73% of refugees and 57% of hosts disagreeing with prioritizing sons’ education over daughters’. The K-LSRH study shows that nearly 78% of caregivers in Kakuma and 61% of Turkana hosts do not want their children to leave school for work, highlighting a strong belief in the value of education. However, disparities between attitudes recorded in the survey and practice reflected in EMIS enrolment rates point to the economic pressures and systemic barriers that continue to hinder access and progress.
The path forward: removing barriers to education
K-LSRH data on education gives a first glance at the state of education service delivery and its gaps for refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya. Upcoming waves of data collection should help paint a pattern over time and support policy recommendations that help the commitment towards investments in inclusive, equitable, and quality education. You can read the full report here, and the dataset is available publicly here.
UNHCR and the World Bank, in collaboration with the Kenyan government and other partners, are committed to investing in inclusive, equitable, and quality education. This effort will empower individuals, strengthen communities, and support sustainable development.
While challenges remain, the benefits of prioritizing education are immense. Every child and youth deserve a quality education that can pave the way for a future where both refugees and host communities can thrive.
1 Data from the KCHS estimates national primary school net enrolment at 78.1%.